Chapter Twenty-Three Snow Underfoot

  Alas, isn't it all about the expedition against Liao? Haven't you seen the drastic changes in the court's situation these days? The demotions of those who opposed them, the retirements of those who were forced to retire, have already presented a completely different picture.

  "What's going on?" Han Xiaoqian was slightly stunned, stretched out his hand to hold onto the other person's arm and walked over to the armchair: "What changes have occurred, Brother Hu please explain in detail."

  That dark-faced man didn't answer, he just stared at Zhou Ping with his eyes. Han Xiao knew that the other party's next words were confidential and didn't want outsiders to hear them, so he ordered Zhou Ping: "You wait at the door, don't let strangers get close!"

  "Ah!" Zhou Ping had no choice but to respond with a sound, put the brazier back in its original place, and walked out of the door to continue eavesdropping.

  When they reached outside the house, Han Xiao pointed at his book boy and said: "This is someone I raised in my own home, Brother Hu can speak freely!"

  "Do you know, the court has already made up its mind to ally with Jin and attack Liao!"

  "What? So soon?" Han Xiao's face changed slightly: "I heard rumors before I left, but how could it be so soon? Didn't Zheng Taizai and Deng Xuan both speak out against it?"

  "What's the big deal? The eunuch and the wet nurse are both strongly urging, who can stop them now?" At this time, a look mixed with hatred and envy appeared on the black-faced man's face, as if those two words had some kind of magic power.

  "Besides, the envoys who went to Dengzhou and Liaodong have already returned, bringing with them several Jurchen envoys, presenting tribute and expressing their intention to form an alliance. The officials were originally a group of people who loved grandeur and achievement, seeing that the great undertaking of their ancestors would be accomplished in over a hundred years, how could they listen to words that went against their wishes!" As he spoke, the dark-faced man let out a sigh, his face full of disappointment.

  "Ah, I see!" Han Xiaoqu nodded slightly, thinking to himself that if this were true, the alliance's attack on Liao would be a done deal. In that case, his own mission to Liao might be in jeopardy. The thought caused him some distress. As it turned out, Han Xiaoqu was a member of Grand Chancellor Zheng's faction in court and had opposed the alliance's attack on Liao. One major reason he, as an attendant, had joined this diplomatic mission was to gather ammunition for those in court who opposed the attack. But he had never expected that after being away from the capital for just a short while, the situation would change so drastically.

  "Wen De brother, don't worry about it either. Because of this matter, the old man has demoted many people in the imperial court. It just so happens that you returned to your hometown to visit your relatives and avoided a disaster!"

  "Hu brother, don't try to comfort me!" Han Xiaoqu smiled bitterly and said: "I'm not familiar with the methods of the old public's hand, 'if you're not my friend, then you're my mortal enemy'. It's well-known throughout the court that I'm Zheng Taizai's person, how could he possibly give up just because I haven't been in court for these days?"

  That man with the surname Hu, upon hearing this, recalled Cai Jing's ruthless behavior and couldn't help but shudder. He feared that being demoted to Qin State as a registrar was only the beginning, and perhaps he would soon face further blows such as 'investigating his past writings' or 'being sent to certain counties for reassignment'.

  Zhou Ping overheard the two people inside the house talking about the envoy sent by the Song Dynasty to the Jurchen-led Jin Dynasty. He couldn't help but think of the monk Zhi Shan, who had bid farewell to him a few months ago and headed to the Jin Dynasty via Dengzhou. Zhou wondered if this monk, who always thought of the welfare of all people under heaven, was safe and sound now, and where he was currently. He also didn't know whether this monk would be able to safely navigate the impending stormy waves.

  Two months ago

  Jingdong East Road, Dengzhou. Dengzhou is surrounded by the sea on three sides, and only the southwest side is connected to Laizhou. Opposite is the Travessia, located at the southernmost tip of the Liaodong Peninsula, which has been the starting point for the sea route from Shandong to Liaozuo since ancient times.

  The land route from Hebei to Liaodong must pass through a narrow corridor between the Yanshan Mountains and the Bohai Sea, which is full of swamps and very difficult. Therefore, in ancient times, when the Central Plains dynasty sent troops to Liaodong or the separatist regime of Korea, they often chose to go out to sea from Dengzhou, such as Tang Gaozong's conquest of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Bohai, all of which set out from Dengzhou. After the mid-Tang Dynasty, the western Liaoning region and even the northern part of the North China Plain were gradually controlled by the Liao State established by the Khitan people, and the land route from the Central Plains to Liaodong was cut off. As a result, the Jurchen people, who were mainly distributed in today's Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang, traded with the Central Plains through this sea route, with the main item being horse trading.

  Zishan got off the big truck, took a deep breath of the salty air, and stretched his waist and back muscles which had become numb in the cramped carriage.

  "Master, there is Dengzhou Prefecture over there!" The driver pointed at the city gate tower in the distance.

  "Thank you, young man!" Zhi Shan smiled and clasped his hands together in gratitude to the carman, then took out eighty copper coins from his pocket and handed them over, saying: "This is the fare, please accept it, young man!"

  "Hey, how can you spend so much!" The carter was about to decline, but was pushed back by Zhishan, who laughed and said: "I've troubled you a lot on the way, this is just a little token of my appreciation. Next, I'll be taking a boat to travel by sea, please advise me on how to take the boat!"

  This life has been mostly active in the northwest, but has never come to Dengzhou. He knows that if he walks these carters, he will be most familiar with the dock industry, and as long as he spends a little money, he can save a lot of trouble.

  "That master has asked the right person!" The carter laughed and said: "In this Dengzhou, apart from sailors on the sea, there are not many people who understand this aspect better than me, Wu Er. I wonder where Master wants to go by sea?"

  Liaodong!

  "What? Master, what are you doing going to Liaodong?" The carter's face changed greatly: "That side is in a state of war, the Jurchen people and the Liao soldiers have been fighting for several years, it's chaotic with troops and horses everywhere. In previous years there were still some merchant ships trading horses, sable fur, ginseng, and eastern pearls, but these years of war have cut off all commerce."

  "Is that so!" The driver's answer made Zhi Shan somewhat disappointed. Must he change his route to the land? The driver saw that Zhi Shan was unhappy and changed his tone to persuade him: "Master, actually this sea route is not completely cut off either. Occasionally there are a few bold sailors who take this route to transport ginseng and sable fur by sea. After all, since the war started in Liaodong, the prices of these things have risen several times over. If you can catch up with them on a favorable wind, but the price won't be cheap!"

  Zhi Shan Yi listened and thought that Wu Er's words were also reasonable. Since he had run this trip, he should at least go over and take a look. Who knows, maybe they would bump into each other? Thinking of this, he gave the driver a generous tip and walked in the direction the other person was pointing.

  When he arrived at the dock, he inquired everywhere, but as soon as the old sailor heard that he wanted to go to Liaodong, he shook his head. After spending a whole morning, there was no progress, and Zhishan couldn't help feeling disappointed. He was about to find a place to rest and fill his stomach before continuing to search for a boat to cross the sea in the afternoon when someone suddenly patted him hard on the shoulder and shouted from behind: "Good monk, I didn't expect to run into you here!"

  Looking back, a square-faced man with white hair and beard stood in front of him. His sturdy legs were slightly knock-kneed, a legacy of years of horseback riding. The north wind had polished his skin to a special bronze color, and the wrinkles on his face looked like the ravines on the Loess Plateau in northwest China, giving off an impression of being strong and stern. However, at this moment, his face was filled with smiles, and the wrinkles were stretched out, full of joy as if he had met an old friend.

  "It's actually Ma Du Jian!" Zhi Shan hurriedly packed his luggage, and it turned out that this person was his old acquaintance Ma Zheng from the northwest. Years ago, when the Song army opened up Qingtang, Zhi Shan had persuaded the Qiang tribal chiefs along the way as an envoy, while Ma Zheng was a guard officer on the same journey. The two had met and become close friends during their travels, but this was already seven or eight years ago. How could they meet again here? Just as Zhi Shan was about to ask, Ma Zheng patted him on the shoulder and laughed: "We haven't seen each other for seven or eight years, have we? Today's encounter requires a good drink!" He turned his head to the young man behind him, who looked similar but only 23 or 24 years old, and said: "Xu'er, this is Zhi Shan Chan Shi, whom I often mention in front of you. Don't you greet him?"

  "Junior apprentice pays respects to the Zen master!" The young man bowed down and said.

  "Xian nephew, please get up!" Zhi Shan hurriedly stretched out his hand to help the young man up, looked him up and down, and smiled at Ma Zheng: "Indeed a talented and handsome young man, Brother Ma has such a good son, making me so envious!"

  Ma Zhengxiao couldn't help but smile, obviously delighted with his son. However, he said, "This young one is quite mischievous, Master, don't spoil him!"

  "Rise to the occasion, rise to the occasion!" Zhi Shan gazed at the young man before him with an insider's eyes, taking in his rough and calloused palms, his sturdy and powerful limbs, and his face, which had been weathered by wind and sand into a ancient copper color, just like his father. Especially those eyes, full of the fearless and calm gaze unique to soldiers. Zhi Shan was well aware that only a select few who had experienced real danger, understood what it meant, and were unruffled by it all would have such a gaze. People like this were rare even in the Western Army, but they were the backbone of the military; perhaps they weren't always in command positions, but at critical moments, soldiers instinctively trusted them, obeyed them, and supported them.

  Three men entered a wine shop, sat down at a table, and after the child brought up the wine and dishes, and they had drunk two cups. Ma Zheng smiled and said: "I didn't expect to meet you here, Master Chan. May I ask, where are you headed this time?"

  "I came to Dengzhou this time to find a boat to go to Liaodong by sea, but unexpectedly, due to the intense war on that side, no sailors are willing to take the risk of going there."

  "Liaodong?" Ma Zheng's face turned strange, he put down the chopsticks in his hand and asked: "What do you want to go to Liaodong for?"

  "There's nothing else, just to investigate the situation of the female straightness!" Zhi Shan replied, and then he told Ma Zheng about what he had heard before going to Goryeo and his own concerns. He believed that this old acquaintance in front of him would understand his concerns and the necessity of this trip. He was different from those "military men" in Bianjing or the Hebei front line, who were born to learn how to ride a horse as soon as they could walk, and learned how to hold a bow as soon as they could hold chopsticks. They had spent their whole lives fighting against the Western Xia people and the Qing Qiang people, and had an instinctive intuition about danger and enemies. People like this would not fail to understand his purpose in going to Liaodong.

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